A major turning point in Sunday’s NFC Championship Game came when Xavier Smith muffed a punt after the Seattle Seahawks’ opening drive of the second half. The Los Angeles Rams got a crucial stop on defense but Smith couldn’t field the punt cleanly, dropped the ball and the Seahawks recovered.
One play later, they scored a touchdown to take a 24-13 lead. The Rams quickly responded with a touchdown drive that only took 2 minutes and 21 seconds, but they were never able to regain the lead or even tie it after Smith’s error.
Left tackle Alaric Jackson came to Smith’s defense on social media, where the punt returner has predictably been getting a lot of heat. Jackson posted that the Rams aren’t pointing the finger at Smith, and says they “still had a chance to win in the end.”
“Just have to execute better as a whole,” Jackson wrote.
Never, it’s apart of the game mistakes happen. We still had a chance to win in the end, just have to execute better as a whole. https://t.co/XlHBSVniEo
— Alaric Jackson (@Bigaj77) January 26, 2026
Matthew Stafford also said he told Smith he loves him after the punt, trying to keep the young player’s spirits up after his mistake in the Rams’ biggest game of the season.
And Jackson’s right: The Rams did have chances to win it later on. That fumble came early in the second quarter, and Los Angeles only lost by four points without scoring a single time in the fourth quarter. There were opportunities on offense and defense, but neither side got the job done.
This article originally appeared on Rams Wire: Rams’ Alaric Jackson defends Xavier Smith over muffed punt
